Reindeer. (Pause.)

Since I've linked to all the rest of this story, it's only fair to end with the thank-you: "Very late in the evening -- actually, very early in the morning -- one gentleman, immediately after getting his books signed, stood slightly off to the side, opened his copy of Sandman, and for several minutes stared at what you had written with an expression of deep bliss and contentment. I am certain many hundreds of other people shared those same emotions last night." (see also)

Are non-linear narratives the future?: "All those boys who struggle reading novels for school but could spend hours with The Guinness Book of World Records do so because they like the puzzle of putting a narrative together in their heads."

Now I'm trying to picture a bookstore at the North Pole: "Do you have a favorite indie at the North Pole, Santa? I hope you do, because a bookstore like that is a fabulous place to be -- surrounded by books and book lovers -- on a cold, snowy day."

Changing Hands and the challenges of e-books: "The more we looked, the more we found that eBook pricing wasn't just bloated, it was erratic. No clear patterns emerged. Worse still, from publisher to publisher and from book to book we had no reliable way of determining our cost, which of course makes selling eBooks at cost problematic."

It's such a balancing act: "As a human, I understand this. As a person who loves books, I’m a bit frustrated."

If you're not reading Dr. Syntax, you should be: "In the end, just as the fight with Amazon over pub dates is largely about pricing, the fight over who owns backlist e-rights is largely about royalties." (see also)

A valuable counterpoint in the comments to this post: "Having 100 000 title in a digital warehouse does not help a physical retailer sell them, they still have to select those that match most closely their customer base and then merchandise and display them… this is still retail after all."

The hardships of representing young people's literature: "I still don't have my Ambassador Attack helicopter."

If you missed him at the E-Book Summit, you have another chance at Winter Institute: "LiVolsi was the perfect example of having a flesh-and-blood human representing a company."

Who can pass up a Pinterized Christmas carol?:
"Scene: Up on the housetop.
Woman: Reindeer.
(Pause.)"

Posted at 05:01PM Dec 21, 2009 by Sarah Rettger in General  |